Paper-makers of The Valley of the Rhône : sustainable development

To face the closure of the line of freight of the FNRC (SNCF) on December 1st, 2007, between La Rochelle and Lyon, our teams SDV OPE had to create a totally customized service. At first obliged to take over the expeditions by truck, they had to think about a more competitive solution to keep the confidence of their paper-makers customer. Subjected to strict ecological certification constraints, the paper-makers welcomed with open arms the idea formulated by Gérard Falcomer, Transit and Transport  Director, to charter a private train. Thus since last July, every week a train leaves the port of La Rochelle to two platforms based in Lyons and Grenoble. There, the goods are unloaded, stored and then delivered on the various sites of the customers. This customized service simplified the customer relation who now has a single interlocutor: SDV OPE in La Rochelle. After a smooth starting up this summer with 17 cars by train every week, today 20 cars are chartered on the line La Rochelle - Lyon - Grenoble to reach 22 next November. So about 1300 tons of paper pulp are transported by rail every week instead of 55 trucks required previously: a considerable advantage for our customer and for the sustainable development strategy.